The marine was also found guilty of obstruction of justice and patronizing a prostitute in his court-martial on Thursday.

Cosby admitted to killing Ivanice "Ivy" Harris in May last year, but his lawyers argued it was in self-defense.

Harris was visiting Hawaii to celebrate her 29th birthday with her boyfriend, who was also her pimp. Her body was found at Yokohama Bay.

Honolulu Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro relinquished jurisdiction of the case at the request of the U.S. Marine Corps.

"Justice was achieved because of the continued cooperation of investigative and prosecutorial agencies of government and we are proud to be part of this effort,"Kaneshiro said in a statement.

Harris' family issued this statement: :We are the voices for the voiceless and are eternally grateful to the Marines, NCIS and Hawaii law enforcement for bringing Ivanice's murderer to justice. We've had peace throughout this process knowing that somebody had our baby's back."

The jury's recommendation will be reviewed by Lt. Gen. Terry Robling, Commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific and the court-martial's convening authority. Robling can either agree with the sentence or reduce the penalty.

deliberation a military jury has recommended life in prison for a Marine convicted of murdering a prostitute in Waikiki... Good evening, I'm Pamela Young. Master Sgt. Nathaniel Cosby will be spending the rest of his life in prison, if the commander of Marine Forces Pacific follows the recommendation of a military jury. The general court martial proceedings for Cosby concluded in Kaneohe today, with the 8 member panel recommending life in prison and a dishonorable discharge. On Thursday the panel found him guilty of Murder while Engaging in a Dangerous Act and Obstructing Justice. During the trial Cosby admitted killing Ivanice "ivy" Harris in May of last year but said it was in self defense after she cut him with a lipstick knife. HPD initially investigated Harris' disappearance, then turned the case over to the military. Lieutenant General Terry Robling, Marine Pacific Forces Commander, will make the final decision to either agree with the sentence or reduce the penalty. With the dishonorable discharge Cosby loses all pay and allowances. He is in custody at the Ford

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